Debuts Friday, Aug 22nd at 11:35pm on WRAL-TV

The first day of school might be around the corner, but high school football teams in the Triangle are already hitting the field.   And WRAL-TV will be there.  The 28th season of Football Friday debuts Friday, August 22, 2008, at 11:35pm.

“Football Friday is here for another season,” said WRAL-TV Sports Anchor Tom Suiter, a captain of the Football Friday team.  “Shows in television often come and go, but I’m proud to say that Football Friday, going on 28 seasons, is still alive and well.”

Suiter says that WRAL-TV Sports Anchor Bob Holliday and WRAL-TV Documentary Photography Jay Jennings, both of whom helped Suiter create the show almost three decades ago, have already worked up a list of games to cover this week.  In fact, each week they begin working on the following Friday’s show immediately after the current Friday broadcast wraps.

“We take Football Friday very seriously,” said Suiter.  “I’ve told many people it’s more to us than just a high school football show. It’s a labor of love. We thank all of you who have watched over the years.”

The WRAL graphics department has been putting together new graphics, photographers are lined up, and the teams are ready to go cover the week’s 28 games tonight.  Camera crews, usually a team of a camera operator and a note taker, will hit two games each, and then begin the mad dash to get information and tape back to the station in time for the broadcast. 

As a bonus, high school sports fans now have a brand new website to find out all the latest about their favorite central North Carolina teams.  CBC New Media Group, WRAL.com and 99.9 The Fan recently launched www.HighSchoolOT.com, which is chock full of information, scores, stats, and more.  Suiter and other WRAL sports figures are already posting blogs on the new site.

“High school sports has always meant very much to me,” said Suiter.  “I have so much admiration for those who coach at this level. High school coaches put in so much time and so much effort, and the influence that they have can last forever. I don’t think they even realize the impact that they have.”